The Curse (2022-3)

Nathan Fielder's first scripted project defies description. Sure, Nathan For You and  The Rehearsal also fit that category, but The Curse takes cringe comedy to another level. And I wouldn't necessarily say I outright enjoyed it the way I did The Rehearsal or Nathan For You. I genuinely laughed at episodes 5 and 9. But I found myself totally baffled by most episodes, and made awkwardly uncomfortable by some. Yes, I understand that's the point but this was even much for me. The finale is the craziest hour of television ever.--opening with a spot-on recreation of a Rachael Ray segment. It was totally unpredictable, very difficult to interpret, and I have no idea how they managed to film those scenes. I have now read many an article deconstructing the finale and it's still beyond me. Fielder plays his signature deadpan self, the butt of many self-deprecating jokes. Benny Safdie is also a master of uncomfortable filmmaking, known for high anxiety movies like Good Time and Uncut Gems. As an actor, he plays out of his usual character as a sleazy reality show director--nothing like the wholesome dad or physicist he played last year. And most notably is Emma Stone, who can literally play anything. She has never been better.

Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro (2015)

Tig Notaro is brilliant, probably one of the best stand-up comics today.  She rose to fame in 2012 after Louis CK released a recording of her now-legendary set performed at Largo in Los Angeles in which she joked about the cancer diagnosis she had received the week before.  She took a very dark experience in her life and shared it with her audience through comedy.  Her style of comedy is deadpan, personal storytelling, and is refreshingly unexpected.  She makes comedy out of the slightest things--the best scene in this stand-up special is one in which Tig imitates the sound of a clown horn repeatedly much to the delight of one particular audience member.  The premise of this stand-up special is that Tig and fellow comedian John Dore tour the country playing in the homes and backyards of regular people.  They perform at arms length from the audience , forcing a level of intimacy that feeds their comic genius.  This is simultaneously a comedy special and a road trip documentary.  I understand that Tig needed a partner to tour with, but I honestly think she could have carried the show all by herself, after all her sets were funnier than Dore's.